Defeating the COVID-19 outbreak: Part III

The history of civilization is a history of fighting diseases. COVID-19 is yet another sobering reminder that in this age of globalization, the futures of countries are closely linked and that building a community with a shared future for mankind is the right way to go.

China will take our joint response to the epidemic as an opportunity to call for greater international coordination and cooperation to jointly safeguard the planet, our only home, and build a global village where we all have a stake in each other’s success.

Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China is committed to international and regional cooperation on epidemic response. To defeat COVID-19 is not only imperative for the life and health of the Chinese people, but also vital to the safety and well-being of people across the globe. The foreign ministry will implement the directions of the Party Central Committee, properly handle China’s external affairs by keeping in mind both the need of epidemic control and economic and social development, and advance China’s personnel exchanges and cooperation with other countries in a coordinated way.

We will expand cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels against the epidemic and keep up the good communication with the WHO. We will explore transnational epidemic prevention and control by China and countries concerned by better synergizing the competent departments responsible for health, quarantine, transportation and border control, promptly sharing epidemic updates, containment measures and research findings, and intensifying joint R&D of antiviral drugs and vaccines. As we are doing our best to control the outbreak at home, China will assist countries and regions experiencing a spread of infections as much as we can and live up to our role as a responsible major country.

Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China will deeply involve itself in global public health governance. Public health emergencies are a common challenge to all countries. The COVID-19 outbreak has laid bare the inadequacies in global public health governance and highlighted the urgency to buttress the system. China is ready to work with the rest of the international community to address these challenges. We support the core role of the UN and the WHO in responding to health emergencies and in improving the global public health governance system. Public health issues should be moved up on the international agenda. Major international health projects should be implemented, and a health Silk Road taken forward.

Guided by the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, China will join the world in responding to non-traditional security challenges. We live in an era where traditional and non-traditional security issues are intertwined. Non-traditional security issues such as major communicable diseases pose an increasingly serious challenge to humankind as a whole. China will put into practice its concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable security. We will promote greater dialogue and communication on non-traditional security matters, help advance relevant international cooperation processes, and work to build up understanding and trust among different parties. These efforts will help enrich the concept and practice of building a community with a shared future for mankind.

Whatever we set our mind to, we must not rest until the job is done. Right now, the Chinese people are at the most crucial stage in fighting the outbreak, and some other countries are facing growing threats from the virus. Confronted by the epidemic, China will neither flinch nor just mind its own business. Severe as the situation may be, confidence is most valuable; tough as the job may seem, hope lies ahead. Just as General Secretary Xi pointed out, having endured many trials and tribulations in its history, the Chinese nation has never been defeated; the hardships and adversity have only bolstered our resilience and made us even stronger.

We are confident that under the personal guidance of General Secretary Xi and the strong leadership of the Party Central Committee, and with the entire Party fighting at the forefront and the whole nation standing united, we will triumph over any difficulties or challenges coming our way. With a higher morale and a stronger sense of duty, we will rally even closer around the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core and devote all our efforts to secure the final victory over the outbreak and realize the Two Centenary Goals in China and the vision of building a community with a shared future for humankind.

Concluded

The writer is the state councilor and foreign minister of China. This article was first published in China’s Qiushi Magazine on March 2, 2020.